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5 Jul 2016

Unpaid work for £14k benefit thief

A Dudley woman who claimed nearly £15,000 in disability benefits while working as a carer has avoided jail.

Initially, the benefit claim made by Pamela Green was legitimate - she said she was barely able to walk and needed support to get in and out of the bath and complete her daily chores.

But she failed to notify the Department of Work and Pensions when there was an improvement in her condition and over a four year period the 47-year-old pocketed £14,749. She was rumbled when information was sent to the department reporting that she was working in the care industry, giving assistance to other people with disability troubles.

Charles Hamer, prosecuting, said the company who employed her thought she was a "good, hard working" member of the team and her work was "obviously of a physical nature". He told Wolverhampton Crown Court the company were completely unaware that she had difficulties dealing with the work.

Green admitted failing to notify the department of a change in her circumstances and she was placed on supervision for two years Judge Amjad Nawaz told her she must complete 200 hours unpaid work in the community and pay £250 court costs.

Green, who was not represented in court by a barrister, said she had pressing financial problems at the time adding: "I know I should have told them things had changed."

The judge said Green, a woman of previous good character, had abused the benefits system with her dishonesty and she should have revealed she had started work.